In The Shadows
by TreacleTart301
Summary: For a few imperfect moments, the two of us were all that mattered. Ginny/Luna


I was twelve when my life was touched by darkness for the first time. Shadows crept in, taking advantage of my naiveté. They seduced me with sweet nothings whispered into my ear. I could feel the blackness tugging at the edges of my heart, calling me into its midst.

To my relief, the darkness was stalled and I was freed from its grip. For one blessed year, I lived in the bright glow of the light. I did the things that other students did, mimicking their actions and mannerisms, but it never quite felt right. Although the darkness wasn't present, it had left invisible scarring hidden within my youthful optimism.

As I grew, so did the looming threat of the shadow's return. They began to surround the walls of my home and school, calling to me. Ginevra, they whispered, like a long lost lover, causing longing to course through my veins in a way that nothing else could. I could feel them always, at the peripherals of my vision, seeping into the edges of my dreams, hovering just over my shoulder. Waiting. Consuming slowly until there was nothing left.

In my sixth year, the light was finally extinguished and the shadows swallowed everyone whole, plunging us all into a darkness we'd never dreamed of. Shrieks of agony echoed through the halls of Hogwarts and cries of despair reverberated off the massive stone archways. The metallic, bitter smell of torment hung heavy in the air, suffocating those of us who dared to move. During the day, I put on a brave face, but at night, I crumbled as the darkness enveloped me, wrapping me deep within its folds.

As the shadows washed through Hogwarts like a tidal wave, pulverizing everything in its wake, many of us were pushed into hiding. We fled to the only safe place we knew of, the Room of Requirements. Within days a shanty town sprung up, littering the room with hammocks and bruised bodies. We were safe for now, but we could hear the shadows pounding against the door, searching for a way into our sanctuary.

No matter how hard we tried to prevent it, the shadows always managed to slip in. Fragments of them would creep in through the cracks in the walls. Aphotic mist would seep under the doorway, permeating the air around us. It touched us in Seamus' agonized groans after he'd been tortured by the Carrows for trying to rescue Colin Creevey. It haunted us as the younger students cried out for their mothers. It tormented us as the Death Eaters forced students to practice horrendous curses on each other.

It was three weeks in, after a particularly awful day when she first came to me. I was lying on my hammock, face buried in my pillow, trying my best to block out the darkness, when her hand touched my back. Startled, I spun around to find her white blonde hair almost glowing in the night. I could just make out her large blue eyes looking at me, filled with concern.

"Ginny, are you alright?" she whispered, trying her best not to wake those around us. "You were crying."

I wanted to tell her I was fine. I wanted to chase her away with false cheer, but I just couldn't muster the energy. The weeks of abuse and fear had worn me down and the tears began to leak from my eyes before I could stop them.

Instead of speaking, she just sat on the hammock with me and pulled me into her arms. I lost track of how long we stayed there, but she never moved. She just kept holding me as I let the darkness spew from within me. For the first time in ages, I felt a bit of relief as the poison flushed from my veins. It was as if the glow coming off of her was chasing it away.

I found myself being drawn in by her easiness. As long as I'd known her, she'd always been able to shake off the worst in people, but it was something else to see her fortitude against the darkness that was consuming the rest of us. Even in her most profound despair, she was there giving me comfort.

As I looked into her bright blue eyes, something stirred deep within my gut. I'd never seen her romantically before, but I'd never really stopped to think about it either. Truthfully, since my breakup with Harry, I hadn't really thought of anyone like that. I was too fearful and exhausted to allow myself to care about anyone any more than I already did. The darkness had a habit of ripping them from me.

However, in that particular moment, I decided that all I wanted was for her light to burn the darkness out of me. Allowing myself to crash into her, I met her lips roughly with mine, feeling the beat of my heart pick up. Sparks shot through my body as her hands moved to my hips. Just the touch of her fingertips on my skin made me feel alive.

She returned my kisses in a frenzied fashion that contradicted her normal dreamy manner. Energy oozed from her pores, jolting me back to life. I found myself winding my fingers into her silver blonde hair and pulling her closer to me. The little groans she gave at my rough touch was all it took.

Flinging her back onto my hammock, I rolled over on top of her and lost myself in her presence. Normally, I might've worried about the lack of privacy or the repercussions of our actions, but in this instance I was completely overwhelmed by my need for her. I wanted to taste her lips, memorize her skin, and drink in her soul. No matter how physically close I pulled myself to her, somehow it just never seemed to be close enough.

"Luna," I whispered over and over again, tangling my legs with hers and digging my nails into the tender flesh below her shoulder blades.

That night, she chased away the shadows that had haunted me for years. She charred away the darkness that had held me hostage and her love slowly began to mend the parts of me that had been broken all those years ago.

I won't pretend that it was the perfect arrangement. It came more out of a need for something good when everything else was crumbling around us, but Luna saved me on the nights when I thought I couldn't take it anymore. When madness seemed like the only option, she reminded me that love could conquer all. Even still, I can remember how her hands slid across my skin, caressing the most random places and how in those moments, I could almost forget the Carrows and Harry's plans to defeat Voldemort. For a few imperfect moments, the two of us were all that mattered.

* * *

 _Hi there!_

 _This story was originally posted on HPFF for The Wish It Was Cannon Rare Pair Challenge. The rare pair that I received was Ginny and Luna. Originally, I had a hard time thinking of how to write the two of them together, but after thinking about it for awhile, I realized that the time they spent in their last year at Hogwarts would've been a great time for them to bond._

 _I'd love to know what you thought about this story. Was it too dark? Did I go off on too much of a tangent? Let me know in that comment box below!_

 _Thank you so much for reading!_

 _~Kaitlin/TreacleTart_


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